What is a Birth Doula?
A birth doula is a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the woman before, during, and after childbirth. She trusts the process of birth and believes in a woman's natural ability to birth her baby. A doula respects every woman's individual journey through pregnancy, labor, and birth, and she helps women get the information they need to make thoughtful decisions, both before and during labor. During labor and delivery, the doula offers encouragement and reassurance for both the laboring woman and her partner and suggests various comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, and position changes.
Why use a Birth Doula?
Research has shown that with the presence of a doula women are
- 26 percent less likely to give birth by cesarean section
- 41 percent less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
- 28 percent less likely to use any analgesia or anesthesia and
- 33 percent less likely to be dissatisfied with or negatively rate their birth experience.
The presence of a doula can also reduce the length of labor by 25 percent, enhance bonding with the baby, and increase the chances of successful breastfeeding (Klaus, Kennell, Klaus The Doula Book).
Description of Services
My services include two prenatal visits. We will talk about your priorities for birth and how to prepare for labor and delivery with various comfort measures and relaxation techniques. I can help you develop a birth plan and answer any questions that you may have.
As soon as you hire me I am available for unlimited phone or e-mail support. You can freely contact me with any questions and concerns you may have about pregnancy, labor, or birth. I delight in journeying through your pregnancy right along with you!
I will be on-call anytime two weeks before your estimated date of delivery until your baby is born. You can call me when you think you are going into labor, and I will come to your home or the hospital as soon as you think you need my support. I will stay with you continuously until after the baby is born. My goal during your labor is to nurture you, encourage you, and suggest various comfort measures to help you deal with the challenges of labor and birth. I am also willing to take pictures during and/or immediately after the birth. I will stay with you one to two hours after your baby is born to help facilitate bonding and establish breastfeeding. A week or so after your baby is born, I will come to your house for a postpartum visit where we can talk about your birth and I can admire your new baby and check in with how you are adjusting. If needed, I may also be able to provide postpartum doula services at this time or refer you to other postpartum services if needed.
About Me
I am a Labor Support Professional who has completed doula training and is pursuing birth doula certification through DONA International. I have two children, Amelie Grace (6) and Jackson David (2).
After my own wonderful experience with a doula when my son was born, I decided I wanted to help nurture other women through their pregnancies and births. The foundation of my doula practice is my passionate belief that birth is a natural, sacred, beautiful event and that all women deserve the chance to experience birth as positive, empowering, joyful, and life-changing. I believe that women's bodies were perfectly created to conceive, grow, and bring new life into this world and that my role as a doula is to nurture you through this miraculous process. I would consider it a great honor to travel with you on your sacred journey to motherhood.
